quarrel

noun

1. (countable)A dispute or heated argument (especially one that is verbal).

   “We got into a silly quarrel about what food to order.”

   “And let a Man bevvare, hovv he keepeth Company, vvith Cholerick and Quarelſome Perſons; for they vvill engage him into their ovvne Quarels.”

   “Quarrels would not last long, if the fault was only on one side.”

   “But capital was proving difficult to raise; rumours were in the air that the G.W.R. and L.S.W.R. were about to patch up their quarrel, and the people of Southampton, who twelve months earlier had staged a torch-light procession to celebrate the passing of the D.N.S.R. Act, were increasingly loath to part with their cash.”

   “All quarrels halt at the grave.”

2. (countable)Often preceded by a form of to have: a basis or ground of dispute or objection; a complaint; also, a feeling or situation of ill will and unhappiness caused by this.

   “A few customers in the shop had some quarrels with us, so we called for the manager.”

   “I have no quarrel with her; it’s her partner whom I dislike.”

   “I maruaile much my Lords what rage it is, That moues my people whom I loue ſo deare, Vnder a ſhow of quarrell good and iust, To riſe againſt vs thus in mutinies, […]”

   “You miſtake ſir I am ſure, no man hath any quarrell to me: my remembrance is very free and cleere from any image of offence done to any man.”

   “Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him [John the Baptist], and would haue killed him, but ſhe could not.”

3. (rare, uncountable)A propensity to quarrel; quarrelsomeness.

   “If I can faſten but one cup vpon him, / With that which he hath drunke to night already, / Hee'll be as full of quarrell and offence, / As my young miſtris dog:— [...]”

   “[A]ll beaſts and birds aſſembled; and forgetting their ſeuerall appetites; ſome of pray, ſome of game, ſome of quarrell, ſtood all ſociably together liſtening vnto the ayres and accords of the Harpe; […]”

4. (countable, historical)An arrow or bolt for a crossbow or an arbalest (“a late, large type of crossbow”), traditionally with the head square in its cross section.

   “Twanged the ſtring, out flew the quarell long, / And through the ſubtile aire did ſinging pas, / It hit the knight the buckles rich among, / Wherewith his pretious girdle faſt'ned was, / It bruſed them and pearſt his hawberke ſtrong, / Some little blood downe trickled on the gras; [...]”

   “Here be two arblasts, comrade, with windlaces and quarrells—to the barbican with you, and see you drive each bolt through a Saxon brain.”

   “The small cross-bow, called the arbalet or arbalest, is said to have been invented by the Sicilians. It was carried by the foot-soldiers, and when used was charged with a quarrel or bar-bolt, that is, a small arrow with a flat head, one of which occasioned the death of Harold [Godwinson] at the battle of Hastings, [...]”

   “"What was that?" he asked, as a hissing, sharp-drawn voice seemed to whisper in his ear. The steersman smiled, and pointed with his foot to where a short heavy cross-bow quarrel stuck quivering in the boards.”

5. (countable)A diamond- or square-shaped piece of glass forming part of a lattice window.
6. (Northern-England, countable)A square tile; a quarry tile; (uncountable) such tiles collectively.
7. (countable, obsolete, rare)A cutting tool or chisel with a diamond- or square-shaped end.
8. (countable, obsolete)A small square-shaped opening in window tracery.

verb

1. (also, figuratively, intransitive)To argue fiercely; to contend; to squabble; to cease to be on friendly terms, to fall out.

   “[T]here is no doubt but the facture or framing of the inward parts, is as full of difference, as the outward, and in that, is the Cauſe Continent of many diſeaſes, which not be obſerued, they quarrell many times with the humors which are not in fault, the fault being in the very frame and Mechanicke of the parte, which cannot be remoued by medicine alteratiue, but muſt be accomodate and palliate by dyets and medicines familiar.”

   “Nay, they [animals] feed quietly together while there is enough for them all: Quarrel onely when it begins to fail; and when 'tis ended, they ſcatter to ſeek out new encounters. Besides, thoſe called ſociable, quarrel in hunger and in luſt, as well as the others; [...]”

   “I know, my dears, that when we recollect how patient and how mild he was; although he was a little, little child; we shall not quarrel easily among ourselves, and forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it.”

2. (intransitive)To find fault; to cavil.

   “to quarrel with one’s lot”

   “Be not too rigidly Cenſorious, / A ſtring may jarr in the beſt Maſters hand, / And the moſt skilfull Archer miſs his aim; / But in a Poem elegantly writ, / I will not quarrel with a ſlight miſtake, / Such as our Natures frailty may excuſe; [...]”

3. (intransitive, obsolete)Followed by at: to disagree with; to take offence.
4. (transitive)To argue or squabble with (someone).

   “[T]hey would ſay [...] that I had quarrell'd / My brother purpoſely, thereby to finde / An apt pretext, to baniſh them my houſe.”